Hearts on Fire
by Brightblaze
Summary: Set during where Elizabeth and Julia know that Barnabas is a vampire, but the others don't. Barnabas stays behind well the family goes out, because a rather drunk Dr. Hoffman apprently needs something from him...A two-part Barnalia oneshot, rated T for a few uses of mature (or rather, immature) language, and some mature themes. :3
1. Chapter 1

"Are we all ready to go?" Elizabeth called throughout the mansion. Even though there was no way her voice could travel throughout the whole of the immense Collinwood, she hoped that her family could hear her.

The Collins family were planning on going out to dinner to celebrate their business, which was back up and running strong thanks to Barnabas.

David came running out from his room. He was dressed in his little suit, and he pelted down the stairs excitedly. It had been a long time since they had gone out for dinner and not just settled for one of Willie's pot roasts.

"Yes!" He answered and grabbed her hand. Carolyn stepped out of her room warily, wearing one of her mother's dresses. She came down the stairs not looking too happy to have to come out of her room, but even the cranky teenager was excited to eat out.

"Barnabas! Julia!" Elizabeth called impatiently. Julia poked her head out of a room.

"What?" She sounded annoyed.

"Julia, you should be getting ready! We're eating out, remember?" Elizabeth rolled her eyes. She got even more annoyed at the glass of red wine in the doctor's hand.

"Oh, right. Yeah you guys go without me; I think I'm a bit too tipsy for the public right now." This was followed by her downing the glass.

The children giggled. Elizabeth sighed. "Alright, Willie and Mrs. Johnson will be here if you need them."

"And Barnabas? Is he staying?"

David shook his head. "He's coming with us."

"Oh.." Julia's face fell. "I want him to stay!"

Carolyn was getting impatient. "Come on, Mom! Let's go!"

Barnabas came out from his room. "I am ready! Sorry for the wait!" As he came down the stairs, Dr. Hoffman pounced on him, grabbing his arm.

The vampire yelped. "My, Doctor! You gave me quite a fright!"

He shifted his weight, and the psychiatrist nearly lost her balance. "Please stay! We have a lot of work to get done!"

Barnabas was confused. "We do? I thought we had already done today's transfusions..."

Julia's eyes flashed desperately, but her mind was too fogged up with drinks to think of anything better to say then "STAY!"

Elizabeth called. "Barnabas, just ignore her. She's drunk."

Barnabas looked first at his family waiting impatiently at the door then back to the intoxicated doctor hanging on to his pale arm. Her eyes were widened and full of emotion-what kind of emotion he could not tell.

"I think I shall stay with Dr. Hoffman, she obviously requests something from me but is too intoxicated to say outright."

Dr. Hoffman did a strange trill purr thing of happiness. She hugged Barnabas's arm. Elizabeth nodded. "Well, if you insist Barnabas. Come on children, we're already late for our reservation!"

David jumped out of the door and Elizabeth followed. Carolyn went out last but she stopped and whirled around, her wavy blonde hair flipping.

"Good luck baby-sitting." She sneered, and then followed, closing the door behind her.

Barnabas stood awkwardly for about three minutes with the drunk psychiatrist hanging on to his arm. She just hung there, leaning entirely against him, staring at his face blankly, with a hint of smile.

The vampire cleared his throat. "Well, doctor? Shall we proceed to your office?"

She nodded, her gaze focused on his dark red eyes, but she didn't move nor let go of his arm. He took a step forward, and then another, and then practically dragged Dr. Hoffman to her office.

Inside her office, he leaned over her chair and let her slide off his arm and she flopped into it. He then sat on the table where he usually sat, and started to hook himself up to the transfusion machine.

She recollected herself and sat up a little taller. "There's no need for that, Barnabas."

The vampire stopped, confused. "What do you mean?"

"We've already done today's transfusions, remember?" Her tone was sarcastic and her speech was slurred. Her eyes would shift from the glazed, unfocused look, to a sharp stare at his face.

"But..." Barnabas was getting a tad irritated. "Madam, please compose yourself so you may answer properly: Why did you so desperately want me to stay?"

She looked deeply into his eyes, and shook her head, her fiery orange hair falling into her face. Barnabas stood and walked over to her, and gently brushed her hair out of her eyes.

Julia shivered at his touch. "You're skin is so cold..."

"I am vampire, Madam. Remember?"

"Yet so warm..." She ignored him and grabbed his hand with both of hers and held it against her cheek. The doctor closed her eyes for a second, and then opened them, whispering "I think I love you."

Barnabas immediately thought of Victoria. Then he awkwardly tried to pull his hand away, but she just clenched tighter. "Madam...you are under the influence of spirits. Perhaps you should prepare yourself for the bedroom and get a good night's sleep, which has always helped in my two hundred years of experience."

Dr. Hoffman batted her long eyelashes. "Sure...perhaps I will prepare myself..for...the bedroom." Smiling, she let go of his hand and reached down towards her floral-patterned blouse and started to unbutton it. However, she was so intoxicated that her fingers fumbled uselessly on the buttons.

Barnabas sat down and patiently watched her, knowing that there was no way she could possibly-

Julia tore her shirt open.

_Oh._

She was breathing heavily from the effort, but then lifted her head and stared triumphantly at Barnabas. "My word...there's three of you...how long has that been?"

Barnabas was thinking of how to handle the situation. She seemed like a crouched cat, ready to pounce at any sudden movement.

"Madam..."

She jumped at him and landed on his lap, the force causing the vampire to fall over backwards. Her nails dug into his shoulders as she tried to kiss him, but she missed his face entirely and spluttered into the air, then blinked at him, confused and still very drunk.

Barnabas shoved her off angrily. She let out a squeak and skidded in a sitting position across the waxed floor, eventually slamming back-first into the wall.

Barnabas stood up and glared at her. How pathetic she was, over thirty years old, but with the immaturity and common sense of a teenager! She called herself a doctor, yet she had no sense of responsibility!

_Calm yourself, Barnabas. Remember how she is spending some of her precious time, effort, and equipment to make yourself mortal. But still! I ought to straighten her out, this is getting out of hand!_

"Look, Doctor...this nonsense has to stop!" He growled sharply.

She looked up at him, startled. Barnabas was surprised to see little tears gathering in the corners of her wide eyes, but he continued on.

"I can't tolerate woman who act sensible in the day and then lose all their morals when night falls! It's simply not proper, in fact it's disgusting to see you consuming heinous amounts of liquor and then throwing yourself on me like some sort of rabbit or tomcat!"

While he said this, she looked up at him, with the sort of expression a child gets when being told off for something they didn't even know was wrong. The expression a homeless man gives you when you walk past them. The look of pure innocence, and sorrow.

She looked down in shame, or was it something else? Tears were beginning to fall, slowly going down her cheek and then dropping, disappearing. She lifted her hands like they were rocks and tried to button her blouse, even though the buttons were ripped out.

Barnabas felt his heart melt. He felt extremely guilty for being so harsh. He knelt down and took her hands in his.

She slowly lifted her head and stared at him in the eye. Her expression was sorrowful and guilty, and even a little fearful. The tears on her face were glistening in the light of the room.

He gently whispered. "Why?"

Without a word, the psychiatrist let go of his hands and crawled closer to him, snuggling up to and pressing her face into his shoulder.

The vampire debated with himself for a few seconds, then rested his cold chin on the top of her head and wrapped her arms around her. She was shaking slightly, and making muffled gulps as she tried to stop herself from crying.

When she did speak, her voice was raspy and laced with tears, shame, and regret. It came out all at once, still a little slurred, but very emotional.

"It's because...well..because..I just am so done right now. With my job. With life. With everything. I just want...I don't really know...I guess I just want a rest. Like, a long rest. I just never get any peace anymore...I mean, everyone is always coming to me with their stupid fucking problems, I'm only here for the kid, but no, Roger won't pay unless I help everyone else, only he just comes to hit on me. David is just...I just can't deal with this family, I can't. They think I'm some great doctor but really, I just don't know how to help...And I need help too...for whenever I get some time to myself I have to torture myself with the wine...it hurts my head and makes me sick! No, not the wine...I make myself sick! I've been no help to David or anyone, I'm a grown woman and I can't take care of myself...and..and.." She hiccupped and lifted her head from Barnabas's shoulder and looked him in the eye. Her own eyes were red from tears and alcohol. They stood out sharply from her pale complexion.

"And I've fallen in love with a vampire I've only just met."

Barnabas was stunned by the outburst. But the last sentence shocked him the most. Her voice had dropped to a whisper, and she pressed her face on his shoulder again. Something in the vampire stirred. He held her closer, hugged her tighter.

_Do I love her? Do I even like her? She's interesting, clever, and...attractive, of course. _Barnabas thought again of Victoria...and Josette. What about them?

Barnabas knew it was very improper to compare two women, but he found himself doing so with Julia and Victoria.

Victoria was gentle, sweet, and very kind. Everything Josette was-they even looked alike, sounded alike, it was a little creepy. Barnabas had been lost in the shadows for two hundred years, and they shy governess had brought him back into the light (or, at least the moonlight).

Julia, on the other hand, was everything Victoria wasn't. Brash, funny, adventurous, irritating, sarcastic...but there was quite the vulnerable side to her. It certainly wasn't innocence, but it was a sort of sadness on the doctor's shoulders, on how she tried to help everyone but she couldn't help herself.

The vampire looked down at the doctor, who almost seemed to be asleep in his arms with her head on his shoulder, curled into a ball on his lap. He had a perfect view of her fiery coloured hair.

Her hair, the bright waves with the subtler streaks had a hypnotic effect on him. It was almost as if her heat was scorching through his skin, infecting his blood and settling in his heart. Her heat mixed with her hair colour triggered some sort of revelation, a revelation with fire...

_Collinwood was burning. Not in some ordinary kitchen fire. A huge inferno that was no accident. It was consuming the whole mansion, destroying everything Barnabas had ever knew, everything the Collins family had ever known was dying in the clutches of the red, raging waves of heat._

_Not only that, the Collinsport official building for the fishing business was burning, nearly done actually, all that was left was ashes, a whole sky full of smoke, and of course tongues of red-pink flame jeering at the Collinses. _

_His family was left homeless, jobless, with the whole town never wanting to see their faces again. The whole town convinced that Barnabas was a murderer. And let's not forget the intense house fire had burned all the artefacts that might've been used to get them some more money. What Barnabas had loved most, his family, were on a path with no predictable end._

_But where was Doctor Hoffman?_

_Barnabas found himself racing towards Widow's Hill, and saw Victoria on the end. He felt his heart jolt with fear for her._

_But she was gone. He was too slow. _

_There was another there, waiting for him. Dressed in black, revealing a lot of skin._

_He slammed right into her, but she held her ground and didn't move an inch. They stared at each other...and she slowly smiled, her smile full of malice and her eyes full of ice._

"_Your sweet little Vicky is gone" She whispered triumphantly, savouring the expression on his face. "Now you only have me!"_

"_Angelique.." He croaked. _His non-vision self was wondering were Dr. Hoffman was, she wasn't huddled with the rest of his family.

The reality Barnabas forced his way into the mind of vision Barnabas.

"_Where is the doctor?"_

_Angelique looked surprised. "Don't you know?"_

The vision was fading...Angelique's flawless complexion was starting to morph and fade, her eyes and grin still piercing him.

"_Your poor little Julia is like a little fire...And I choose to fight fire with water!" _

Barnabas let out a little yelp and his body shuddered. He never had a vision before, not even a dream this detailed.

Dr. Hoffman woke up with a start. She looked dazed, and then looked at her clock. "Ish...only five minutes have passed." Her throat was still tight from tears, and she let out a little whimper and closed her eyes again.

Hard as it was, Barnabas pushed the vision to the back of his mind and focused back on Julia. "Madam, I am greatly flattered to know that you posses such feelings for me. I must say, you are an interesting character and a great friend, I cannot say I express the same for you. However, you must know that even though you feel as though you are worthless, that is far from the truth! I cannot speak for the others, but you are a great help to me with your knowledge, and your transfusions you give me, and your determined spirit."

Julia at first had the most dejected look you would ever see, but then it changed to a look of nervousness. "I...uh...about the transfusions...I'm not exactly helping in that either...you see..uh"

Barnabas felt something in him melt. She lay curled up in his lap, fumbling, looking like she was about to cry again. Barnabas realised, it must be tough for her, having to deal with everyone's problems, not getting anything back but money in return, feeling like no one actually cared for her, and then having to turn to a beverage for support. He admitted, to himself, that perhaps he did have a soft spot for her. True, she was frustrating, but no one else truly frustrated him as much as her. She attracted him, irritated him, made him laugh, fascinated him.

Maybe, just this once, it wouldn't hurt to give her a little gift, to make her feel better.

He shifted his weight again. Dr. Hoffman lifted up her head and looked at him, still with that ashamed expression.

He leaned in and kissed her, not long, but certainly not quickly. Just enough to let her know that he cared for her, he was there for her, and he forgave her.

At first, the woman was startled, but then she kissed back, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, and they sat there, holding their stance. Barnabas was about to pull away, but then thought, _why? It's making her feel happy, and as for me, well..._ Something inside the vampire was stirring, perhaps it was the warmth of her lips, perhaps it was the way she clung to him like he was life, perhaps, maybe, just maybe, he did love her with a special and wonderful kind of love.

As for the vision, well, that had to be caused by something. Indeed it was caused by something-something trying to warn him, to threaten him...

That something just so happened to be looking in through the office window, her gaze resting on the pair, still kissing. Barnabas was relaxing and had stopped trying to pull away long ago. Julia was starting to use more force.

Angelique could tell. She was staring at Barnabas without blinking, as her nails scored deep scars in the stone and her face started to crack with sheer rage.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks so much if you favorited and followed my story!Thanks to a lovely guest for reviewing! It really means a lot to me! Special thanks to my brother, and two special Instagram accounts for reading! Here's Part 2!**

* * *

Barnabas pulled away, and stared, relaxed, into Julia's eyes. However, his heart was far from relaxed. Even though his heart could not physically beat, he felt as though it were racing.

_She has lit my heart on fire._

Julia's face was priceless. She had the widest, most adorable smile. She looked like a schoolgirl who just gotten an extra good mark on a test, or a child who had received a balloon animal from a clown. There was so much light in her dark eyes, and she smiled before looking down with a hint of blush in her cheeks.

Barnabas carefully took off his suit jacket (Julia sadly took her arms off his neck) and then wrapped it around her, because he could still see her bra.

"Thanks" She whispered.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, my dear-"

"No...Thanks for everything." She smiled. It was a rare occasion for her to do a genuine smile, not a drunken smile or a sarcastic smile. A true, grateful, content, and happy smile.

"You're welcome." The vampire whispered, and then looked away. He didn't want to admit it, but he felt a deep attraction for Dr. Julia Hoffman. It was more than an average attraction though; he felt a deep longing for her, and excitement.

Like when she first kneeled and...tied his shoes, he was shocked, but he had to admit that deep down, he had enjoyed it all.

He wanted more.

He was going through his head with what to do next, but he saw her standing in the doorway of the office.

Angelique Bouchard.

She was not happy.

Barnabas could see her, but Julia was looking the other way, fixated on the blood in the transfusion machine.

Barnabas was staring in shock. Angelique pulled one of her signature slasher grins and then walked slowly towards the seated pair.

Barnabas tightened his grip around the doctor, but then gently pushed her off him. He started to stand up.

"What are you doing, Barnabas?" Julia tugged on his belt.

Angelique raised her hand and flicked it, staring at Barnabas. She was wearing a very revealing and tight black dress. She smiled as her force caused him to fly backwards into the wall.

Barnabas yelped and slid to the ground. He felt like he had smashed his back on the impact. He groaned and tried to get up, but his legs gave out. His lungs were in shock, he was trying to inhale, but the wind had been knocked out. He crumpled to the ground, groaning.

Julia whirled around and stared in shock. "Angie?! What the freaking hell?!"

Angelique, still smiling, reached down, grabbed the doctor's shoulders, and pulled her up. Julia stared at Angelique, frowning with confusion, then pulled out of the witch's grip and backed away. "What happened to your face?"

Sure enough, Barnabas noticed tiny fissures on Angelique's forehead. It was hard to tell for sure, because spots were swirling in the vampire's dizzy vision.

Angelique sneered. "Out of all the questions, that's the one you come up with?" She chuckled. "Pathetic creature."

Julia's eyes widened. Angelique raised her hand.

"No!" Barnabas shouted, forcing himself to his feet.

Angelique's head seemed almost unhinged on her neck, as she swivelled it around to face him.

"What?"

"Don't touch her!"

"I wasn't going to!" Angelique's voice turned into a raspy growl like it does when she gets angry or frustrated.

She flicked her hand at Julia.

Julia let out a squeal as she flew backward into a wall, then crashed into a ground and lied there, stunned.

Barnabas gasped in horror. _She's so small...so fragile.._ He ran to her, but Angelique jumped directly in his way and didn't budge.

Barnabas snarled and tried to shove her. "Get out of my way!" He tried to sidestep, but she was even better at it than him.

"I don't think so!" She giggled coldly, the giggle of a snake.

Barnabas snarled again and grabbed her neck in his hand and started to tighten his grip. Angelique started to gasp a little but she still was grinning.

"Leave the doctor alone...this is between you and me!"

The witch easily threw him off with her power. He hit the wall again, this time gasping from the impact. Then, before he even finished reacting from hitting the ground, Angelique used her telekinesis to make one of the cords on the machine unplug. It snaked around the floor, before doing an odd little dance in front of Dr Hoffman. She stared at it, dazed and frightened, when it looped around her neck and started to slowly tighten.

"No!" yelled Barnabas, forcing himself to his feet once again, and charging at Angelique, who flicked her hand and sent him sliding into the wall again.

Barnabas got up, even though his ribs were screaming and his lungs were fighting the shock. Angelique just watched him, amused as he struggled to stand and then slowly walk towards her.

"Let..her..go." He growled through gritted teeth, trying to intimidate her. But he knew it was a lost cause. You just don't intimidate Angelique Bouchard. She does the intimidating here in Collinsport. "...Please!"

Angelique smiled sweetly. "Aww, poor Barnabas. You feel for your poor little pet...so much that you're actually begging!"

The cord tightened. Dr Hoffman could still breathe, but her eyes were so wide, it was almost freakish. The blood drained from her face. Barnabas couldn't tell if it was from the effects of the cord or from fear.

Julia tried tugging at it, but it wouldn't budge. She looked at Barnabas in the eye. "Help!" Her voice was shaky and weak.

Angelique turned at Barnabas and smiled even wider. Her smile was full of evil, and Barnabas knew what was coming.

"So...if your precious doctor is in this situation, you'd do anything to get her out?"

Barnabas didn't answer. His heart was filling with dread.

Angelique came closer to him and grabbed his face in her hands. It was funny, because even though Angelique was a warm-blooded creature, her hands were as cold as ice; Barnabas felt that they were even colder than his.

She kissed him hard and pushed him against the wall, kissing even harder, forcing her snake-like tongue in his mouth.

Barnabas gagged and shoved her off roughly, so much she that fell over. He stared at her with pure disgust and hatred.

She looked back up at him, her eyes filled with anger and lust. Not a good combination.

He hopped over her and ran to Julia. She had stopped struggling. Her eyes were bugging and her chest was heaving abnormally. The cord was tightening fast.

Barnabas panicked and he grabbed one end of the cord and yanked in one quick, strong movement. The cord snapped and Julia gasped, massaging her neck. She began to cry from relief.

"No!" Angelique screamed, and flicked her hand on an impulse. Julia slammed into the wall on the other side of the room.

Barnabas's voice got very soft, yet full of anger. "Get out of Collinwood, Angelique. You are not welcome here!"

Angelique smiled. "What are you going to do if I refuse?"

Barnabas opened his mouth, and then closed it. It was true: Angelique held all the advantages in this situation. If he tried anything, she'd hurt Julia.

"Please...leave her alone..I shall do anything you wish if you just leave the psychiatrist alone!" His voice cracked. _Damn._ Now that Angelique knew he was getting desperate, she'd start playing games.

"Oh really? Anything? Anything at all?" He could tell that her thoughts were racing with all the things she could make him do...rather sickening thoughts.

"...Yes."

"Okay then." She gestured at Julia, who was struggling to sit up. "Kill her."

"K-kill her?!"

"Yes. And don't you even think about cheating...You can't turn her into a vampire! Try another method...be creative." Her eyes flashed as she nonchalantly rested her gaze on the cords, the television set, and his nails.

Barnabas felt horror creep through him. His plan had backfired. He had assumed she'd want them to couple or something like that...but not this!

Angelique patiently stared at him. "You know...she wasn't helping you at all...she was lying! You can see for yourself...look how pale she is, look how dark it is around her eyes. I'm sure she's starting to grow her own little pair of fangs inside her mouth!"

Julia's jaw dropped, but then she quickly closed it again. Her eyes were filled with terror, and yes, guilt. Her eyes met Barnabas's and she looked away.

Barnabas looked all the bright, cherry-red blood sitting in its little tank. "You mean to tell me that she not been using her blood to make me human, she has been using my blood to make her a vampire?!"

"Yup." Angelique turned at Julia, savouring the psychiatrist who looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole out of sight.

Barnabas didn't know how to react. He felt shocked, betrayed. Used. Manipulated. Then came the rage, the hot, fiery rage at the doctor.

"I..I..I trusted you!" He blurted at Julia, who was cowering on the floor, curled in the fetal position. Angelique slowly backed away, grinning as she watched them tear apart.

"You...I...I trusted you! You lied to me! You were using me!"

"I know, I know, I'm so sorry!" Julia wasn't crying, in fact, she was standing up, facing him. "You have a gift, Barnabas! It isn't fair to keep it to yourself! I, I just want to be beautiful, and young again, like you!"

Her eyes were filled with fear as Barnabas strode over to her and slowly started pressing her up against the wall. "The Collins family trusted you! Perhaps, you are correct-you really are no help at any person! You're just taking advantage of my family, taking our money and giving nothing back!"

The vampire's red eyes were filled with rage. There really are no words to described how betrayed he felt. He felt tricked. Fooled. Violated, even. Maybe, she wasn't even in love with him. Maybe she was just drunk. Maybe, she really was a hopeless case who deserved to be put out of her misery.

Julia was starting to babble, in a soft, high-pitched voice. "You're a good man...you're a gentleman...please forgive me!"

Barnabas leaned in and studied her neck. It was pulsing each time she swallowed, in a graceful flowing motion. It was very pale, probably because of the all the vampire blood inside her, and of course she didn't see much of the sun. The veins stood out prominently, but only if you actually focused on them. He could smell the blood inside of her, rich and hot. Like a thick soup, mixed with a bit of sweetness and a heavy, intoxicating taste...blood could very much pass for a special kind of alcohol.

Julia's blood also had a peculiar presence to it. Something drew him towards her, and he leaned in closer. Julia didn't resist...she just watched him, wide eyed, as he opened his mouth slightly.

His mouth ached for the blood...he wanted it desperately, but Angelique was watching. If she saw him bite her, she'd think he was trying to save her.

_Angelique was watching._

She was waiting for him to kill the doctor. Watching expectantly. She was doing this...she was compelling him. If he killed her...why was he about to kill her?

Was he angry at her? Probably.

But...was he really going to kill her? Just to satisfy Angelique?

Barnabas's stomach twisted when he remembered the last time he submitted to her...He couldn't let that happen again! He couldn't!

The vampire acted on an impulse. He cupped Julia's face in his hands, and she stared into his eyes fearfully. She was in fact almost paralyzed with terror.

He kissed her.

He pressed her against the wall, kissing with passion, knowing that they were both going to die...He literally mocked Angelique, right in her face. But, during this moment, this one precious moment, the vampire couldn't care less.

Even if Julia's confession was just a drunken joke, he knew at once that his feelings for her were real. More then real.

They were on fire.

Julia kissed back with equal force, wrapping her arms around his neck again, and standing on her toes. He slid his hands down her back and kept them around her waist. The two of them were in the zone. The moment. Barnabas knew that Julia truly did love him back.

He pulled away gently, and whispered. "You are still the most beautiful creature that has ever lived."

She had tears in her eyes, and she pulled another genuine, sweet, smile full of love.

"NO!" Angelique screeched, her face being divided into huge cracks, and her eyes flashing with pure anger. She raised her hand and flicked it furiously at the couple, sending a dark wave of hate at them.

Julia screamed as she went flying into the tank filled with litres of blood. She smashed into it, and the whole tank shattered, and Julia was lying curled up and gasping in pain, surrounded by broken glass and a pool of ruby-red blood. The doctor herself was covered in blood, and she was shivering in fear.

As for Barnabas, he was lying completely paralyzed on the ground in shock. He physically couldn't sit up, and he wasn't sure if it was because of the strength of Angelique's power or she was using her power to actually hold him down.

Angelique stalked like a cat on two legs towards the huddled psychiatrist, grinning in contempt, confident that she had won.

Julia gazed back up at her, with a paralyzed look of terror on her face, like a rabbit stunned by traffic headlights.

Angelique sighed. "Poor little mortal...thinking you could win his heart by lying to him, and oh, sucking his member? Real classy, bitch! Whores like you deserve to die!" Angelique did a small cackle and watched as Julia slowly stood up to face her.

"I...I.." She whispered. Tears were leaving streaks in the red mask of blood on her face. "I'm sorry..."

All of a sudden, she stopped whispering. She stood a little taller. A new expression came on her face, the face that the Collins family knew. Sarcastic, cranky, irritated, and certainly not taking any sass from anyone.

"I'm sorry for the intense pain that you're about to get...even though you deserve it, hon!" Julia grabbed Angelique by the throat, and in one swift movement bit her, sinking in her miniature fangs in the witch's slender neck.

Angelique gasped in pain, it was so intense and focused that her magic was temporarily cancelled out.

The bite lasted for about seven seconds, before Julia spat her out and backed away, smirking.

Angelique stumbled backwards, tripping over Barnabas and landing beside him. Her neck had two little punctures in it. Tiny cracks were bordering it, but she wasn't bleeding. Witch blood is very deep in the body, surrounding the organs.

Angelique picked herself up, with murder in her eyes. Cold, determined murder.

Dr. Hoffman was really in for it now.

Barnabas was beginning to get his strength back, either that or Angelique was forgetting to reinforce her spell.

He picked himself up and looked at the two women. Angelique's face was covered in cracks and her head was tilted to one side...her head and neck were cracking like porcelain and her eyes had a freakishly focused stare on the doctor like she was a piece of prey that kept darting away. Julia was covered in blood. His jacket had slipped off so her shirt was hanging open again. She was standing in a pool of blood with chunks of jagged glass floating in it. She was staring triumphantly at the witch, looking at her straight in the eye.

Barnabas ran forward, skidding in the blood, but Julia caught him and steadied him. Barnabas wrapped his arms around her and glared at Angelique.

"Miss Bouchard, you may think that you can get your own way by using this brutal force but really...it is nothing compared to the power of love!"

"Power of love.." Repeated the witch. "What kind of shit are you smoking?"

"They tried stoning him but it didn't work." Snickered Dr. Hoffman, remembering some of the misunderstanding Barnabas had with his family when he first arrived.

Barnabas continued on. "Those young people told me all about it. And they speak the truth! Taking all that I love would never make me love you! If you are going to cause anymore harm to any members of my family, including my love Julia, then I swear I shall send you down to the flaming depths of the infernos of Hell! Where cruel and manipulative harlots like you belong!"

Angelique gnashed her teeth in frustration. She couldn't physically pry them apart, if she hurt Julia then she'd hurt Barnabas too...and she'd done that enough already. Frustration coursed through the witch, but there wasn't any other option besides hurting him more or leaving for now...

She began to back out of the room. "I WILL be back, Barnabas! You just watch your back, because one day, you WILL be MINE!" She then turned and fled.

Barnabas stood there holding Julia as she leaned against him. They two of them were breathing heavily from the fear and adrenaline.

They both simultaneously slumped to the ground in the midst of the drying blood and shards of sparking bloody glass.

Barnabas's whole body was aching, but Julia probably broke a rib or two. She was covered in vampire blood and had multiple cuts from the glass. Her shirt was completely ruined and so was her bra.

But the psychiatrist had never been happier in her whole life.

The two of them both made a unanimous yet unspoken decision to worry about the mess tomorrow. They both curled up against each other, and were just about to close their eyes, when Barnabas touched her face, stroking her cheek.

"Tonight, doctor, I saw an entirely different side to you...A side you kept hidden. A vulnerable, sorrowful side. You don't have to hide anything from me."

"Yeah, well if you mention that "side" again, no more sucksucks for you!" She grinned and closed her eyes.

He smiled, feeling happy but exhausted. The vampire too closed his eyes.

The two of them fell asleep amidst the drying blood puddle, with their hearts on fire.

Fire that would never be put out, not with a force of hate, for their love was fuelling the flames for all eternity.

* * *

**Thank you for reading! That concludes this oneshot! 3 Please leave a review i would really appreciate it! I hope you all love barnalia as much as I do! :D**


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